Lemon-Steamed Spinach #FrenchFridayswithDorie

Spinach is one of the only vegetables that Katie will eat…and one of the only vegetables Nick will not. Go figure. I make a spinach souffle practically every holiday…the uber picky daughter will eat that over turkey, roast beef, pork or lamb. So even though I had a huge amount of baby spinach in the fridge while Nick was home on his college spring break, I decided to wait until he was back in the dorms before putting spinach on our menu. This Lemon-Steamed Spinach has got to be the simplest recipe in Around My French Table…once the water beneath your steamer starts to boil, you can have this dish on the table in less than five minutes. Dorie suggests using this as a base for a chicken, salmon or even a lobster entree…I may have to make this again when our FFwD group akes the Vanilla-Butter-Braised Lobster! Let’s hurry that one along in our queue.

The procedure is super speedy. Toss the 1 1/4 pounds of baby spinach (yes, it looks like a massive amount) with a tablespoon (or a wee bit more) of olive oil, the zest of one lemon and salt and pepper to taste. Add to the steamer of your choice (I had a steamer basket sitting on the bottom of my Dutch oven) and cook, covered, for just three minutes. Uncover and give it a stir and cook for up to another minute if needed. Voila! A healthy, vibrant side dish…perfect for you avid spinach lovers.

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Liz, your Katie and my Lucie would get on just fine. As spinach fans here, our eyes would pop out with thes (popeye, groan…) especially with your Easter-inspired accompaniment. Have a wonderful Easter, Liz, and love to all the family.

Hi Lizzy, I’m back from exile and so missed your blog while I was gone. I love wilted spinach and I just bought a big bag of it to have for breakfast tomorrow with some poached eggs. I don’t have a steamer but I cook it in the frying pan with a little butter and garlic. Happy Easter to you and your family xx

It was so easy that I forgot to make it… I almost posted the sables today… It looks gorgeous with the meat! My perfect plate to maintain my iron up, not kidding, I´m supposed to eat this dish once a week! Have a great weekend Liz.

Yea, Katie. Loved the little round tomato (a gorgeous red tomato in the Midwest where it’s still Winter) and lemon perched on top of the spinach. A beautiful rainbow of color. And, now, we can talk about the meat — that’s a major-sized portion – hope that’s for Katie also. Happy Easter to you and your family. Thinking good thoughts for Bill’s dad during this blessed season.

That sounds incredibly tasty Liz. I love all vegetables and the freshness of lemon paired with the strong spinach sounds fantastic! This is definitely going on my menu next week. Happy Easter to you and your family.

Hello Liz, I just read your post a couple of hours too late. I just made a huge dish of garlic spinach for dinner but sure wish I had your recipe to try instead. Fresh and light and high in iron. Have a super Easter weekend. BAM